The Open Door to Grace

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Galatians 3:1-5

O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?

Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

R. (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.

 

 

Alleluia Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father  among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The Open Door to Grace

October 8, 2026 // Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 11:5-13  

Reflect on the Word // I would lie in bed at night, agonizing, just begging the Lord to “fix it.” In my very brief first marriage, there were serious problems right from the start. I longed for the Lord to open the door of my husband’s heart to me. I pleaded, fasted, prayed endlessly, and sought counsel. Things only got worse. The pain was almost unbearable; at times I thought it would stop my heart.

In the end, my husband’s heart remained closed to me. I’m certain this was at least, in part, out of his control. We divorced just one year after we were married. (Years later we were granted a declaration of nullity.)

Then comes this challenging Gospel from Luke. The Lord is so clear when he says, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10, emphasis added). He says so confidently that the Father is the giver of good gifts.

How can I possibly reconcile this with my experience? What are we to make of it when a door does not open? Is God’s Word false?

Maybe, some of the answer is found later in the passage. Jesus concludes this teaching by saying, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:13, emphasis added) That is, the Father will always give us grace when we need it. Grace in the Sacraments, like Confession and the Holy Eucharist. Grace in prayer and friendship. The grace to weather the great strains of a broken heart and to wish my ex-husband well—even to pray for him. 

I begged for a specific resolution but what the Father sent was infinitely more powerful: He sent the Holy Spirit to walk me through the darkest pain of my life. He gave the good gift of grace. And, when you need it most, He will do the same for you, sister.

Relate to the Lord // Pray today with Luke 11:13–challenge the doubts about your unanswered prayers and ask for deeper trust in the Holy Spirit given to you.

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